Musicians for Mali Benefit Concert to Aid Refugees to Be Held September 22

American world music band Toubab Krewe has organized the Musicians for Mali benefit concert to aid refugees displaced by the crisis in Mali. The event will take place Saturday, September 22 of 2012 at 8:00 pm at the City Winery. Toubab Krewe has brought together an all-star lineup of Malian and American artists to celebrate Malian Independence Day, increase awareness about the current crisis in Mali, and raise money for refugees.

In partnership with co-producers Afropop.org and the Malian Cultural Center, the event will benefit Relief International, an agency working with refugees in Niger, and Mali-based Instruments4Africa, which aids musicians and their families who have fled the North.

About the Performers
Toubab Krewe

Formed in 2005, Toubab Krewe is a dynamic Asheville, North Carolina-based instrumental powerhouse that creates a captivating mix of jam rock, African traditions, and other roots music influences. More at Toubab Krewe.

Balla Kouyaté

Balla Kouyate is considered to be a virtuoso on the bala (balaphone), an ancient Mande instrument that belongs to his family as part of a rich, cultural legacy. More at Balla Kouyaté.

Oran Etkin plays clarinet, bass-clarinet and saxophone that draw on ancient traditions from Africa, Israel, New Orleans and beyond. More at Oran Etkin.

Benyoro

In the Bambara language of West Africa, Benyoro means meeting place, and that’s exactly what this group is. It’s about the meeting of traditional and modern instruments, African and American musicians, and centuries-old songs and modern arrangements.

Banning Eyre

Banning Eyre is an author, guitarist, radio producer, and Senior Editor at Afropop.org. He performs with the band Timbila, and with various musicians playing African music in New York City. More at Banning Eyre.

About the Beneficiaries

Relief International responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Since 1990, Relief International has been committed to partnering with communities in need and transforming victims of vulnerability to empowered participants in sustainable development. Relief International is responding to the needs of over 15,000 Malian refugees in northern Tahoua province of Niger by providing assistance in food security, health and hygiene, shelter. More information: ri.org/files/uploads/RI_Mali_Refugees_in_Tahoua_Niger_Assessment_Report.pdf

Bamako (Mali)-based non-profit Instruments4Africa is committed to cultural preservation, helping artistskeep their practice alive so they can continue to empower their communities. The organization is currently assisting families of displaced traditional artists from the North. Families receive food, medicine, school fees, until they can get back on their feet and provide for themselves. They also help artists find gigs and connect them to agencies offering additional assistance. Funds raised will enable the organization to significantly expand the number of families they serve. More information: i4africa.org/donate/

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has been writing about world music and progressive music for many years. He founded the websites worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. Angel co-produced “Musica NA”, a music show for Televisión Española (TVE) in Spain that featured an eclectic mix of world music, fusion, electronica, new age and contemporary classical music. Angel also produced and remastered world music and electronic music albums, compilations and boxed sets for Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Music of the World, Lektronic Soundscapes, and Mindchild Records. He was also the executive producer of the first Latino feature film made in North Carolina titled “Los sueños de Angélica.”.